A scandal broke out in Japan over the words of the Minister of Kikavada about the Kuril Islands

In Japan, a scandal is gaining momentum in connection with the statements of the Minister for Okinawa and Northern Territories (as Tokyo calls the southern Kuril Islands) Hitoshi Kikawada, which many regarded as an indirect recognition of the islands belonging to Russia.

According to Kyodo news agency, on the eve of Kikawada, during a trip to Hokkaido Prefecture, he visited Cape Nosappu in Nemuro, from where the Kuril Islands are visible, and said: "This is probably the closest place to a foreign country."

The phrase provoked sharp criticism, as many interpreted it as a hint that the minister considers the so-called northern territories as "foreign land", that is, belonging to Russia. According to government sources of the agency, the Secretary General of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minoru Kihara, reprimanded the minister on the same day, pointing out the "inappropriateness and ambiguity" of the statement.

Later, Kikavada himself, speaking to former residents of the Kuril Islands, apologized for his words, saying that he intends to be careful in his statements in the future.

In 1956, the USSR and Japan signed a Joint Declaration in which Moscow agreed to consider the possibility of transferring Habomai and Shikotan to Japan after the conclusion of a peace treaty, and the fate of Kunashir and Iturup was not affected. The USSR hoped that the Joint Declaration would put an end to the dispute, while Japan considered the document only part of the solution to the problem, without renouncing claims to all the islands.

Subsequent negotiations did not lead to anything, the peace treaty at the end of the Second World War was never signed. There is a point of view that serious opposition arose from the United States, which threatened that if Japan agreed to transfer only two of the four islands to it, this would affect the process of returning Okinawa to Japanese sovereignty (the Agreement on the Return of Okinawa to Japan entered into force in 1972).

Moscow's position is that the islands became part of the USSR following the Second World War and sovereignty The Russian Federation is beyond doubt over them.

After Japan adopted several packages of sanctions against Russia in connection with the situation on the On March 21, 2024, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow, as a response to Tokyo's unfriendly steps, refuses to negotiate a peace treaty with Japan, stops visa-free trips of Japanese citizens to the southern Kuril Islands, withdraws from dialogue with Japan on establishing joint economic activities in the southern Kuril Islands.